3-alarm S.F. blaze sends black plume into sky

A three-alarm fire tore through an auto repair shop in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood Monday morning, the fire department said.

The fire was reported at the Haight Street Garage at 2177 Jerrold Ave. at 11:53 a.m., according to the fire department.

View of the fire from the east slope of Bernal Heights. Photo courtesy of Peter Schwab

The blaze quickly grew to a two-alarm fire, and then to a three-alarm fire at 12:10 p.m., with black smoke rising into the sky. The black smoke came from “a lot of toxic fuel” from inside the shop that created a dark plume visible throughout the Bay Area, said fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge.

“There were a lot of automobiles inside, and a lot of toxic fuel that burned,” she said. “The tires, the cars, all of that stuff is considered toxic fuel.”

At about 12:30 p.m., crews pulled out of the structure and began a “defensive” tact in fighting the fire from the exterior of the building. Twenty minutes later, the roof collapsed, Talmadge said.

“We know that with those types of buildings, the main component of the structural integrity is the roof. Because of the type of building it is, one of the first things to go is the roof,” she said. “This whole area is pretty much comprised of buildings of this type. We initially start offensively but as soon as we recognize it’s a lost cause, we go defensive to protect surrounding structures.”

Talmadge said she believes the building is a total loss.

“It’s going to be a tear down,” she said.

About 65 units of more than 100 firefighters responded to the blaze, which was under control by about 1:15 p.m. Talmadge said another focal point for the crews was a propane tank located at the rear exterior of the building. Firefighters were able to protect it and prevent an explosion, she said.

There have been no reports of injuries. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Though black smoke is typically bad for air quality, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has not seen “any increases in particulate matter in the atmosphere,” said spokesman Tom Flannigan.

Flannigan warned that there could be “localized impacts” from the smoke and recommended that anyone who is near the fire or can smell the smoke to close their windows and stay indoors.

The air quality in the Bay Area has been especially bad this winter because of the drought. Flannigan said the air quality on Monday was luckily “pretty good,” and there have been no signs that the fire affected the pollution level as of yet.

From the Berkeley Hills I can see a very large black plume of smoke coming from what appears to be south of SF pic.twitter.com/b3uHVyj7CQ